Gaping Dragon
The Gaping Dragon is an optional boss in Dark Souls. __TOC__ Location The Gaping Dragon is found in a large open chamber in the Depths, near the gate to Blighttown. Description The Gaping Dragon has developed an additional pair of legs to sustain its large stomach, and even though it cannot fly its four mangled wings are used to assist in high jumps. Its own ravenous gluttony also transformed its rib cage into a gigantic vertical maw that can inflict crushing bites and oozes acid. While its head regressed to a stubby proboscis to detect potential prey. Lore The Gaping Dragon is a distant descendant of the Everlasting Dragons, however disparity somehow turned it into an abomination.Dragon King Greataxe description.Dark Souls Design Works Artbook. Specifically, the emergence of life corrupted it, along with emotion and desire - both of which are innately tied to the Dark.http://soulslore.wikidot.com/das1-design-works Miyazaki: "It's a little different from the other dragons in the world, it's part of an ancient race of mineral based life forms, existing since long before the emergence of mankind, yet, despite its superiority over us, its time has passed, and it finds itself alone in the world, the last of its race forced to survive in any way it can. As to what triggered this change… well, the emergence of life corrupted it, it was warped by emotion and desire…" Summoning It is possible to summon Solaire of Astora and Knight Lautrec of Carim. Only if the player had previously freed him and talked to him at Firelink Shrine. Solaire's summon sign can be found next to the stairs leading to the Fog Door, while Lautrec's can be found just behind the pillar, opposite to Solaire's. Strategies *As a Dragon, it is very susceptible to Lightning. *Ranged attacks can prove useful, especially while the boss is performing a forward charge. *As long as care is taken with positioning there is no need to block or dodge during the fight, making two-handed weapons an excellent choice for melee attacks. *The Gaping Dragon will become momentarily still after its charge attack; this time can be used to attack it safely. The charge always comes after a stomach slam, so use the slam as a signal to get close to its side/tail. *Hitting its head deals extra damage, but the head is only accessible right after a slam (and before a charge). More experienced players can shorten the fight considerably by hitting the head a couple of times right after the slam, and quickly getting out of the way before the charge starts. A hit to its head does approximately 3x as much damage as a hit to the body. *Below 50% health, the dragon gains a new attack (corroding acid), that can reduce item and weapon durability, and even cause the player's equipment to break if stayed in to long. It's important not to confuse this attack with the stomach slam (their animations start in a similar way). *The Gaping Dragon's tail can be cut off. The Dragon King Greataxe is the reward for doing so(and the tail swipe's range becomes extremely short, making the rest of the fight easier). If you are trying to get the axe, hit the middle (or end) of the tail; if you aim at the base of the tail (i.e., the "buttock" area) it's possible to kill the dragon before the tail itself has taken enough damage. *A player phantom can offer ranged support and distract the Gaping Dragon from the balcony, if they don't enter the fog gate. *Locking on can make evading the Gaping Dragon's attacks harder, as it reduces the speed at which the player can move away from the boss. *Staying at the Gaping Dragon's side and attacking its legs, moving only when it begins to walk or fly, can result in an easy victory. Dragon King Greataxe To cut off a tail it's necessary to deal a certain amount of damage against it. The HP of the tail increases with higher NG cycles and is based on the HP of the respective enemy. The Gaping Dragon's tail has 539 health on NG and 1,036 on NG+. *After the crawl attack it will spend a lot of time returning to its upright position. Use this time to get hits on its tail, preferably with a vertical attack. *Note if using the Drake Sword that its heavy two-handed attack consumes 40 durability, so only use light attacks. Notes *Although the tail is not connected to the body, once severed the "stub" of the tail can still inflict the same amount of damage. The attack box of its swings extends a few meters beyond the end of the tail itself. *The Dragon can hurt players for minor damage just by stepping on, or near them while moving about. *Killing the Channeler above the arena of the Gaping Dragon will prevent the Gaping Dragon from getting a damage buff. The Channeler may also fire sorceries at the player and any phantom summons they might have. Boss Information Attacks 'Right Punch' The Gaping Dragon performs a punch with its right arm. The attack has a short range and can be dodged by running to the left side of it. 'Triple Stomp' The Gaping Dragon brings its leg up and quickly stomps three times in succession. The Gaping Dragon focuses this attack on the area in front of it. 'Left Leg Swipe' The Gaping Dragon slowly brings its left leg up and then swing across its front. This attack covers a great range so it's best to run away or stick close the Dragon's right hand side. 'Stomach Slam' The Gaping Dragon points its stomach in the air and then slams it into the ground with great force. The best option to avoid this attack is running directly away. The Gaping Dragon's teeth get stuck in the ground briefly after this attack, making it vulnerable to counter-attack. 'Charge' The Gaping Dragon begins to charge in a straight line. Running to the side is the best way to avoid this attack. This attack is always executed after a Stomach Slam. 'Tail Whip' The Gaping Dragon swings its tail to one side of its body. This attack can be difficult to avoid but is best evaded by running to the enemy's front. Cutting off the tail will cause the reach of the attack to lower significantly, but it can still hit. 'Jump' The Gaping Dragon will fly upwards for a brief moment and attempt to land on the player. When it is stuck or is being flanked it will trigger this move, which will result in the dragon turning itself around. Another form of this attack triggers when the player attacks from afar, after which the monster will try to land onto the player in a single bound. Both can be avoided by running away, however, the latter requires the player to focus more on timing. 'Corroding Acid' The Gaping Dragon points its stomach to the ground and after a brief delay, expels acid that covers a big portion of the area. This will degrade equipment. Staying in it too long may cause all of the player's equipment to break. Gorge The Gaping Dragon grabs the player when close and then crunch with its vertical maw, inflicting tremendous physical damage. Defenses Drops Trivia * The Gaping Dragon was designed by Hiroshi Nakamura. The initial theme was "greed".Dark Souls 1 - Design Works Interview Music Gallery gaping dragon.jpg|Emerging Gaping dragon02.jpg|Roaring gaping dragon close up.jpg|A close-up of the Dragon Gaping dragon art.jpg|Concept art Gaping Dragon Concept Art.jpg|Concept art fighting the dragon.jpg|Chosen Undead fighting the Dragon Videos References pl:Ziewający Smok Category:Dark Souls: Optional Bosses